Pan-fried ray with hazelnuts

Serves 4

To serve, transfer the wings to warmed serving plates and spoon the butter and nuts over (JASON LOWE)

If you keep up with the latest news about sustainable fishing, you will know that the poor old common skate is on the endangered list these days. Some of the smaller varieties of ray are still OK to eat, however, so ask your fishmonger for advice, or consult the Marine Conservation Society's website.

Ray has a very unusual texture which is unlike that of any other fish and it can handle all sorts of flavours.

4 ray wings, weighing about 250-300g each, skinned
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A little vegetable or corn oil for frying
120g unsalted butter
40 or so shelled hazelnuts, roughly chopped
2tbsp chopped parsley
The juice of half a lemon

Season the ray wings, heat the oil in a large, preferably non-stick frying pan and cook the wings for about 5 minutes on each side on a medium heat, adding a couple of knobs of butter during cooking to give them a nice colour. Remove the wings and keep warm.

Add the rest of the butter to the pan and when it begins to foam, add the hazelnuts and parsley, then the lemon juice.

To serve, transfer the wings to warmed serving plates and spoon the butter and nuts over.